A police officer was killed and two others wounded in a shooting attack on their vehicle outside the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday morning, police said.

All three were evacuated by helicopter to Hadassa hospital in Jerusalem, emergency services said, as the army began scouring the area for the attackers.

A doctor at Hadassa said the most severely wounded officer, Command Sergeant Major Yehoshua (Shuki) Sofer, was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital after being shot in the stomach. He later died of his wounds.

Army Radio reported that a fourth officer received treatment - possibly for shock.

Gunmen opened fire on the police vehicle as it traveled on road 60, north of Hebron, carrying officers to duty stations in the city.

Initial investigations suggest the shooting was a planned ambush.

"This was definitely a terrorist attack. It was carried out on an ordinary police vehicle and forces are now combing the scene," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.